so if I PR and hit my goal of 225 strict press, I'll lose to some twink because its based on weight class. gay. I would probably lose to some other 240+ guy but rather lose to that guy then someone way lighter

Some guy posted 260@195 already.

I think I can do maybe 185.

637/390tng/615 - belt/wraps, best gym lifts.
600/370/600 - best competition lifts.
575/330/560 - best competition lifts at 181 raw.
"I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." - 1 Cor 9:27

All that time i lurked around expecting you to be some sort of recently released from jail pimp that turned into a peyote farmer who sometime turned into a Casanova to find new kidneys for the mexican drug cartel.
I stand corrected!

Yea, I've only done a 225 push press so my strict press is prolly under 200. Maybe I'll have to photoshop some plates in my submission video.

Originally Posted by samsont

so if I PR and hit my goal of 225 strict press, I'll lose to some twink because its based on weight class. gay. I would probably lose to some other 240+ guy but rather lose to that guy then someone way lighter

i think at tops there might be like 10+ for 225+ and i might be good for 205 strict atm so will see. hopefully another competition i win and get free supps

They are the same bar the only difference is the sleeves. The Econ has a pinned end on the sleeve instead of the snap ring which looks nicer and has the westside logo on the end cap. I don't know if it really makes a big difference besides looks for powerlifting sake. But yeah the regular westside power bar is like $60 more compared to the econ westside power bar.

ive seen someone microload their bench on SS to 315+ 3x5 even though he stalled in the low 200s before microloading

You do realize that the plates you're using, unless calibrated expensive as hell plates like ivanko, that each one is usually off by a couple percentage points in either direction so micro loading is almost useless. Even in competition fractional plates can not be used unless a record attempt. Even then they are supposed to weigh out the plates and sometimes have to republish what the actual weight was because the expensive calibrated plates were off from their face value.

You do realize that the plates you're using, unless calibrated expensive as hell plates like ivanko, that each one is usually off by a couple percentage points in either direction so micro loading is almost useless. Even in competition fractional plates can not be used unless a record attempt. Even then they are supposed to weigh out the plates and sometimes have to republish what the actual weight was because the expensive calibrated plates were off from their face value.

So cliffs. It's all mental at the fractional level.

True, but sometimes you can use this sort of mental manipulation to your advantage, even if it does seem like a crutch. If you have the option of hitting, say, 500x5 on squats on week, 502.5 the next, and 505 the third week, this sort of progression feels quite doable--you'll think, "It's only 2.5 lbs, so of course I'll be able to do it." Going for bigger PRs or progressions might handicap you mentally, even though it's quite possible that in a commercial gym your 505 squat was actually lighter than your previous PR of 500 because you grabbed a pair of abnormally light plates. One time I weighed all the plates at my gym on an expensive scale, and they were all 47ish lbs. On a 5 plate deadlift that makes a difference of 20 lbs, so I was actually hitting roughly 515 instead of 495.

It's a bit like a placebo. Interestingly enough, there has never been a single cough medication that has tested as being more effective than a placebo, but the cough med industry is pretty huge. The FDA won't approve new medications if they aren't effective, but pretty much all OTC cough meds on the market are 50+ years old, and the FDA won't review their status unless they have some terrible side effects.

That said, I'm pretty sure cough meds are effective because of the placebo effect, and in the case of coughing, the placebo effect is pretty handy even if it is mental trickery. One of the roughest parts about coughing is that if you think about coughing enough, you'll get an itch in your throat and pretty soon start coughing. The placebo at least gives you the belief that your coughs should stop, and so they do.

Clearly, the most mentally strong person could control his coughs and PRs at will, but sometimes tricking ourselves can be a good thing.

I've surreptitiously added 2.5s or 5 lb plates on training partners bars before to help them hit a PR. I've also faked helping a guy on bench press and he locked the weight out without me ever actually helping, even though the bar had come to a complete stop.

637/390tng/615 - belt/wraps, best gym lifts.
600/370/600 - best competition lifts.
575/330/560 - best competition lifts at 181 raw.
"I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." - 1 Cor 9:27

True, but sometimes you can use this sort of mental manipulation to your advantage, even if it does seem like a crutch. If you have the option of hitting, say, 500x5 on squats on week, 502.5 the next, and 505 the third week, this sort of progression feels quite doable--you'll think, "It's only 2.5 lbs, so of course I'll be able to do it." Going for bigger PRs or progressions might handicap you mentally, even though it's quite possible that in a commercial gym your 505 squat was actually lighter than your previous PR of 500 because you grabbed a pair of abnormally light plates. One time I weighed all the plates at my gym on an expensive scale, and they were all 47ish lbs. On a 5 plate deadlift that makes a difference of 20 lbs, so I was actually hitting roughly 515 instead of 495.

It's a bit like a placebo. Interestingly enough, there has never been a single cough medication that has tested as being more effective than a placebo, but the cough med industry is pretty huge. The FDA won't approve new medications if they aren't effective, but pretty much all OTC cough meds on the market are 50+ years old, and the FDA won't review their status unless they have some terrible side effects.

That said, I'm pretty sure cough meds are effective because of the placebo effect, and in the case of coughing, the placebo effect is pretty handy even if it is mental trickery. One of the roughest parts about coughing is that if you think about coughing enough, you'll get an itch in your throat and pretty soon start coughing. The placebo at least gives you the belief that your coughs should stop, and so they do.

Clearly, the most mentally strong person could control his coughs and PRs at will, but sometimes tricking ourselves can be a good thing.

I've surreptitiously added 2.5s or 5 lb plates on training partners bars before to help them hit a PR. I've also faked helping a guy on bench press and he locked the weight out without me ever actually helping, even though the bar had come to a complete stop.

Basically, confidence is merely the belief that you can do something. It helps to be confident going into a lift, but if you aren't strong enough, no amount of confidence will move the weight--a lack of confidence, however, can hurt.

So if microloading tricks you into having false confidence, and you hit PRs, then that's great--because there really isn't such a thing as 'false' confidence going into an event. It's merely a feeling or impression about the future that can be either confirmed or denied by experience.

That said, if you are stressing over 2.5 lbs, you probably won't be able to lift 600.

637/390tng/615 - belt/wraps, best gym lifts.
600/370/600 - best competition lifts.
575/330/560 - best competition lifts at 181 raw.
"I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." - 1 Cor 9:27